Of course, it has some benefits for both the employer and the employed, which is why it has grown and established itself, even though the final push may have been given by Covid-19. Companies have found an opportunity of reducing real estate cost by allowing people to work from a place of their choice, usually home. In some cases, they may also have been able to negotiate the compensation package downwards for the flexibility offered. Employees are saving on commute time, a killer in most big cities, get to spend more time with loved ones, and take on family duties and help out in the chores, important for nuclear families. They are also able to look for employment anywhere in the world where the company permits remote work.

Other developments, like the growth of the gig economy, with freelancers available for short periods and specific assignments, have further fuelled the movement. Staff augmentation providers like Ushankk, already familiar with remote work over several decades, are helping companies and jobseekers make the transition.

However, behaviour and mindset changes are needed, both in managers as well as in the managed, to ensure that its full potential can be realized and it becomes an ongoing, sustainable trend.

Confidence building measures

There can be questions in the mind of the manager regarding the sincerity and commitment of people working from home. Is she putting in the hours required? Is she doing something else at the same time, that is not company work?

The employee in question needs to maintain utmost transparency, perhaps more than needed in an office scenario where there is general visibility of people around you. She should be visible to the manager on a video tool, if that is the policy of the company, and be willing to provide an update on her work whenever asked, to demonstrate progress.

For people interacting with clients, similar levels of transparency will be needed when interacting with them.

Clear definition of roles and responsibilities

The more specific expectations and roles can be made, the more effective remote work will be. In the absence of a line of sight, doubts and hesitation can creep in. Should I take a break now or later? Will my manager think I am always taking breaks? If possible, build breaks into the schedule that is created between an employee and manager.

Communication is key

Whether interacting with clients or colleagues, if you are stuck you cannot simply tap on someone’s shoulder for support. Remote workers need to be able to communicate in a manner that promotes clarity and removes doubts and grey areas. Further, their personal and physical presentation needs to be professional. Working from home does not mean you appear unkempt in your interactions. If you are on a call, as far as possible, try to eliminate background noises such as the TV blaring in the background. Of course, it is understood that not everyone will have the space or setup at home which will come across as a totally professional workplace.

Time commitment and hours

This is perhaps an offshoot of the transparency and definition needed for such an arrangement to work smoothly. It will help to operate on a schedule that mimics the workplace schedule. This way, the team that worked together in the office, will still be able to do work together remotely. It will be difficult to do so if either everyone operates on a different schedule or the schedule is either not known or keeps changing.

Onus is on the manager

We all want to belong. When we work from office, we are surrounded by the symbols and brands that refer to our employer. We are also in the physical company of others like us, which builds relationships and bonds, and helps people in backing each other when needed.

In a remote environment, all this goes missing. It is easy to feel alienated. One of the challenges companies have been facing with remote work is that attrition levels have shot up. Managers need to step up and ensure that remote workers continue to feel wanted and a part of the bigger picture. They should take help from others, such as HR, in this exercise, if needed.

Managers and organizations can take help from established companies in the staff augmentation solutions space, such as Ushankk, who have been working with remote staff much before Covid-19 happened.

Challenges with remote work

The acceptance of remote work does not imply that there are no challenges with it. Far from it. With the spread of teams across the globe rising, managing people has not become any easier. HR specialists have been working overtime to identify and address these issues.

Many roles cannot be defined in terms of output and are done on a best-effort basis. They require commitment from the individual and some amount of oversight from the supervisor that prevents people from straying. The inability to oversee employees limits effectiveness in case of such roles that are usually measured in terms of manhours.

Communication and engagement clearly take a beating. A video-screen based engagement might be adequate for conveying and receiving work related messages, but falls short when it comes to developing relationships between people and giving them a stake in each other’s success and failure.

Perhaps a direct fallout of this lack of interpersonal connect is the feeling of alienation amongst employees. This could reflect itself in the quality of work being delivered as well as a higher level of employee attrition. Moreover, the best employees will leave first because they now have a global marketplace to play in.

Essentially, the glue of company culture that binds companies together becomes weak and ineffective.

Innovative solutions for remote work

Employers continue to find innovative solutions for remote work:

Expectation setting

It becomes even more important to set the right expectations at the time of hiring, as frequent resetting, possible in a physical environment, is not possible in a remote one. This includes even standard work-related documentation such as job descriptions and KPIs.

Continuous engagement

While it is understood that physical oversight may not be possible, the management team has to ensure that it does not translate to low or no engagement. ‘It can only be done virtually’ might be a limitation, but ensuring it is done goes a long way in breaking barriers.

Deploying the right tool

Digital technology is stepping into many of the gaps created by remote work and removing them or making them smaller. Using the right tools for the nature of work handled can be instrumental in achieving success at the workplace which, itself, can be a binding factor. Some useful tools:

Slack – Collaboration and informal communication is encouraged. Possible to connect directly or in groups.

Trello – Effective for collaborating over projects, with the ability to share work.

ClickUp – Though a project management tool primarily, it lends itself to customization and hence, is able to meet the needs of a diverse set of organizations.

Field Engineer – Though there are many platforms that connect freelancers with people and companies that need them, FieldEngineer stands out as a versatile tool.

Harvest – Timesheets assume greater importance in a remote workplace, since physical oversight is no longer possible. Harvest simplifies timesheets. .

Engage experienced staffing firms

Staffing firms, like Ushankk, have been working with remote, distributed employees even before Covid-19 struck, and doing so for years, perhaps decades. Not just across multiple locations but also multiple companies, simultaneously.

They continue to provide solutions for remote work that are popular with employers of scale. Engaging them might be the most direct way of addressing remote work-related issues.